English dictionary, thesaurus, translations & etymology

Etymology — The origins of English words

Where do words come from? Trace the origin and history of any English word, from its Latin, Greek or Old English roots through to its modern meaning. Every etymology is sourced.

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Borrowed from Latin Franciscus.

From Middle English foisoun, from Old French foison, from Latin fūsiōnem. Doublet of fusion.

From Middle English fewere, equivalent to few + -er.

From foreskin + -less.

Borrowed from French flageolet.

From free + phone, perhaps after the Freefone (0800 number) service introduced in 1985 in the UK.

From Middle English florin, floren, from Old French florin, from Italian fiorino (“little flower”). Doublet of fiorino and forint.

From Middle English fulmard, from Old English fūl (“foul”) + mearþ (“marten”), in reference to its offensive smell.

From exorable + -ness.

From Latin explicātīvus, from explicō (“to unfold, open out”).

From Middle English festlich, equivalent to feast + -ly. Compare Dutch feestelijk (“festive”), German festlich (“festive, solemn”), Danish and Swedish festlig (“festive, solemn”).

From Old French egestion, from Latin ēgestiōnem, accusative of ēgestiō (“emptying, voiding”), action noun from the perfect passive participle of ēgerō (“to carry out”), from ex- + gerō.

Perhaps an alteration of fandango, equivalent to fandango + -le (diminutive suffix); or influenced by dangle. Alternatively, Geoffrey Dearson, in The Devonshire Dialect Dictionary (2022), suggests a blend of fandango + bangle.

From farm + worker.

Borrowed from Latin Eugenius, from Ancient Greek Εὐγένιος (Eugénios). Doublet of Eugene and Yevgeny.

From Latin ex- (“out of, from”) and fulgere (“to shine”). By surface analysis, ef- + Latin fulg(ere) + -ence.

From Middle English exacerbacyoun, from Latin exacerbātiōnem, from exacerbāre (“to provoke, make harsh”). See exacerbate.

The term was coined in 1848 by Rudolf Virchow From Latin embolus (“piston”), from Ancient Greek ἔμβολος (émbolos, “peg, stopper”).

From equi- + Latin lux (“light”).

From enjoin + -ment.

Borrowed from Irish Éire.

From French épilation.

From epilate + -or.

From elm + hurst.